Footy greats invest in hi-tech mouthguards to monitor concussion

Brownlow medallists and premiership stars are among the footy legends investing in hi-tech mouthguards that help diagnose concussion.

A roll call of AFL greats has invested in revolutionary mouthguards fitted with hi-tech chips used to monitor head knocks in football.

Essendon champ James Hird, Richmond triple premiership coach Damien Hardwick, Kangaroos legend Wayne Carey, Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins, Brownlow medallists Dane Swan and Jobe Watson and former Fremantle coach Mark Harvey are shareholders in the HitIQ data chip already being used by half the players across the league.

Jobe Watson and Steele Sidebottom are backing the new mouthguards. Picture: David Caird

The Collingwood Football Club has also invested almost $250,000.

The mouthguard device, allowing medicos to help diagnose concussions and brain­­ ­injuries, will be rolled out across all Australian rules grades, including juniors, by 2023.

The mouthguard is moulded to fit a player’s teeth, with a sensor chip inside it.

The chip logs head knocks, including acute impacts and the subconcussive accumulation of hits.

Hird told the Herald Sun he believed the technology would better protect footballers of all levels.

“Some of these head knocks you don’t detect because they are so small, but they actually do a lot of damage,” Hird said.

“It’s not just the big whack that knocks someone out, it can be continual incidents of micro-knocks over a period of time.

It’s hoped the technology will be rolled out across all levels of footy. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“And the fact that Australian rules is the first elite football code in the world to be using it is wonderful. But to me the best thing about this product is that it will trickle down to kids, so that every parent, in any sport, can track the amount of knocks their child has, and I think that has got a place in society.”

HitIQ listed on the Australian Stock Exchange at 20 cents a share last month.

The company will focus on Australia before launching in the US and European markets.

Other investors include Essendon’s Cale Hooker, former Tiger Mark Merenda, ex-Bombers Allan Stoneham, Tony Buhagiar and Matthew Banks and retired Eagles Tim Houlihan and Erik McKenzie.

The company has signed a three-year commercial deal with the AFL and is trialling with the rival NRL and American college football teams.

It is estimated the global mouthguard market for contact sport is worth more than $30 billion.